COLUMBIANA, Ala. (March 12, 2018) – Boater Michael Smith of Andalusia, Alabama, caught a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 14 ounces, to win Saturday’s Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bama Division tournament on Lay Lake. For his efforts, Smith earned $4,956. Smith started his day fishing the mid-lake, catching a 5-pound largemouth on a bed. He said he used a Bruiser Flash-colored Missile Baits Baby D Bomb before moving to the lower end to target spotted bass.
“I hit around 30 areas, including some that had stumps or a hard bottom,” said Smith, who earned his second career win in BFL competition. “I felt like the spots were spawning, but they were in deeper water – like 6 to 15 feet down. I wasn’t looking at them.”
Smith had a one-two punch for catching his fish – an Eco Pro Thunder Spin with a 3½-inch Fishalicious-colored Missile Baits Shockwave Swimbait, and a ¼-ounce Missile Baits Warlock Shakey Head jig with a finesse stickbait.
“When the wind was blowing or there was cloud cover, I used the Thunder Spin,” said Smith. “Both lures were on 12-pound-test fluorocarbon which I think was important. It was good, light line for the clearer water on the lower end.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Michael Smith, Andalusia, Ala., five bass, 17-14, $4,956
2nd: Ricky Smith, Ohatchee, Ala., five bass, 17-13, $1,878
3rd: Patrick Dobbins, Opelika, Ala., five bass, 16-14, $1,164
3rd: Joe Wikoff, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 16-14, $1,164
5th: Tim Ferguson, Pelham, Ala., five bass, 16-9, $720
5th: C.J. Knight Jr., Sylacauga, Ala., five bass, 16-9, $720
7th: Alexander Wilson Sr., Elmore, Ala., five bass, 16-8, $626
8th: Larry Fransk Jr., Wilsonville, Ala., five bass, 16-4, $563
9th: Jimmy Butler Jr., Opelika, Ala., five bass, 16-3, $501
10th: David Parsons, Dothan, Ala., five bass, 16-1, $438
Luke Plunkett of Pinson, Alabama, weighed a 5-pound, 2-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $490. Tanner Ellison of Jemison, Alabama, won the Co-angler Division and $1,878 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Tanner Ellison, Jemison, Ala., five bass, 17-6, $1,878
2nd: Gary Marlowe, Montgomery, Ala., five bass, 16-13, $1,039
3rd: Larry Purdie, Columbus, Ga., five bass, 16-5, $677
4th: Hayden Teems, Leeds, Ala., five bass, 13-14, $438
5th: Michael Anderson, Newton, Ala., five bass, 13-11, $376
6th: Tyler Conn, Wetumpka, Ala., four bass, 13-9, $344
7th: Heath Martin, Fyffe, Ala., three bass, 13-8, $558
8th: Caleb Scott, Sylacauga, Ala., five bass, 13-3, $282
9th: Chris Patterson, Morris, Ala., five bass, 13-2, $250
10th: Daniel Buswell Jr., Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 12-3, $219
Martin caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 6 pounds, 14 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $245.